1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exhaust-gas sensor which includes a housing body, in which a sensor element is located that is made of ceramic for example and that operates electrochemically, and a cable outlet welded to the housing body that seals the housing body and electrically contacts the sensor element, which cable outlet has a for example metallic protective sleeve and one or several connecting cables leading out of the protective sleeve.
2. Description of the Related Art
On the one hand, a high degree of seal tightness is required of the cable outlet and its interaction with the housing body of the exhaust-gas sensor. The high degree of seal tightness effectively and permanently prevents the intrusion of harmful liquids and gases, which could trigger corrosion for example, into the interior of the exhaust-gas sensor. In order to realize the seal tightness, the cable outlet must provide in particular a sufficiently tight, durable and temperature-resistant seal between the protective sleeve and the connecting cables.
Published German patent application document DE 10 2005 020 793 A1 already discloses providing a prefabricated stopper made from polytetrafluoroethylene, also known as PTFE, for sealing a front side of the protective sleeve of an exhaust-gas sensor. There is furthermore a provision for welding insulating jackets of connecting cables in passage channels of this stopper using fluorine-containing plastic and to provide a force-locking seal between the protective sleeve and the stopper using a tube made of fluorine-containing plastic.
In the sensor known from the related art, sealing in the area of the protective sleeve requires handling a multitude of discrete, preformed components made of different materials. This makes the manufacturing process comparatively costly.